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Chapter 131
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MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 132
‘But you didn’t at the beginning, when we met. You weren’t interested then.’ She’d felt his innate sense of distance and caution, the same as her own. She’d thought they had been speaking the same language, giving the code words for no commitment, no love, no fairytales.People change, Lucette . I’m thirty-two. You’re twenty-nine. Of course I’d think of settling down and starting a family.’Something clanged hard inside her; she felt as if someone had pulled the chair out from under her and she’d fallen right onto the floor."Well, then, that’s where we differ, Ariston ," she stated, her voice thankfully cool. ‘I don’t want children.’His eyebrows drew together at that. ‘Ever?’‘Ever.’He stared at her for a long, considering moment. "You’re scared.""Stop telling me what I feel," she snapped, raising her voice to hide its tremble. And get over yourself. I’m not scared. I just don’t want what you want. I don’t want to marry you.’ She took a breath, and then plunged on recklessly. ‘I d
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 133
Ariston strode From Lucette ’s apartment, his body was still shuddering from their lovemaking—but no, he couldn’t call it that. Never that.With one abrupt movement, he lobbed the little velvet box into the nearest bin. A foolish waste, perhaps, but he couldn’t bear to look at that wretched ring for another moment. He couldn’t stand the thought of it even being in his pocket.He drew a deep breath and raked a hand through his hair, willing back the emotion that had nearly overwhelmed him in Lucette ’s apartment. All of it. She was out of his life. He need never think of her again.He reminded himself that it wasn’t as if he’d loved her. Lucette had been right about that. He'd liked her, yes, and they’d certainly shared an explosive sexual chemistry. She’d seemed the obvious choice when he’d decided it was time he married.Six months ago, just after their mother’s death, his brother Antonios had resigned as CEO of Linard Enterprises, and Ariston had taken his place. It was what Aris
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 134
Taking a deep breath, she fumbled in her bag for the test and then locked herself in one of the stalls. She read the directions through twice, needing to be thorough, to focus on the details rather than the big picture that had been emerging ever since Juliet had made her suggestion.Then she took the test and waited the requisite three minutes, staring at the face of her watch the whole time. As the second hand ticked to twelve for the third time, she turned the test over—and stared down at two blazing pink lines.PositiveShe was pregnant with Ariston ’s baby.For a moment, she couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even see. She doubled over as the world swam and darkened all around her. Then she took a few shallow breaths and straightened. She wrapped the test in a paper towel and shoved it deep in the bin; she washed her hands and retouched her make-up. She has not thought about this yet. She couldn’t.She went back to her office, ignoring a curious look from Juliet, and sat
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 135
"Yes, I suppose... In any case, our relationship is finished. completely.’ Lucette lowered her gaze to her glass of water.‘It didn’t end well.’"If you’re thinking of keeping the baby, he should still know," Juliet pointed out.Lucette couldn’t keep herself from wincing. How on earth could she tell Ariston now? Considering what she’d said to him the last time they’d been together, he might not even believe the baby was his."I can’t think about all this just yet," she said. It’s too much. I have time.’"If you’re not going to keep it," Juliet replied warningly, "the sooner you decide, the better. For your own sake.’'Yes'...She reasoned that termination might appear to be the obvious solution.And yet the most fundamental part of herself resisted the possibility, shrank away from it in horror.She hadn’t expected that. She hadn’t expected pregnancy to awaken anything in her but dread and fear. And yet she couldn’t deny the faint stirrings of hope, as ephemeral as a will-o’-the-wisp
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 136
Someone’s here to see you sir.’Ariston glanced up from his laptop at his assistant Chantel, who stood in the doorway of his office on the Linard estate. He’d been going over some figures for a new deal with a large North American restaurant chain, and it took a few seconds for Chantel’s words to penetrate.‘Someone? Who is it, Chantel?’‘A woman. She wouldn’t give her name, but she said it was urgent.’Ariston frowned. His office was on the family compound in central Greece—the middle of nowhere, as Lucette had so acerbically reminded him. He didn’t get any unexpected visitors to his office here, ever.Well, why on earth wouldn’t she give her name?’ He asked as he pushed back from his chair.I don’t know. But she’s well-dressed and well-spoken. I thought perhaps ’Chantel trailed off, blushing, and Ariston took her meaning. She’d thought this woman might be one of his lovers. Only he hadn’t taken a lover in months—not since he’d last seen Lucette .And he very much doubted Lucett
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 137
She winced at that. ‘Clearly you don’t have a very high opinion of me.’‘And you think I should?’‘No.’ She let out a little defeated sigh. ‘No, I don’t.’So why didn’t you do either of those things, Lucette ?’It was the first time he’d said her name since he’d seen her again, and it caused him a sudden, surprising flash of pain. He clenched his hands into fists, then deliberately flattened them out, resting them again on his desk.She replied with a bit of her old spirit, "Because I am not, no matter what you think, completely without morals." ‘I want my child, and I want my child to know its father.’ She took a deep breath. And more than that, I want my child to have a loving, stable home. A home where it knows it’s safe, where its parents are loving and protecting it. always. "Her dark brown eyes seemed to glow with an inner fire, an utter conviction.'And how do you think that will work,' Ariston asked after a brief pause?"That’s the other thing I want," Lucette said, still h
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 138
Lucette risked a look up, wondering if he’d taken her meaning. Ariston was silent.He asked, his voice toneless, ‘that you are giving me permission to violate my marriage vows?’"It would be a marriage of convenience.""But still a marriage."I’m trying to make this more amenable to you.To sweeten the deal? He cut across her, his voice hard. ‘It still tastes rancid to me.’"Please, Ariston ..." She swallowed, hating the fact that she had to beg.Maybe he was right. Perhaps she should go back to Paris and raise the baby on her own. Ariston could be the sort of weekend father he claimed he didn’t want to be. Plenty of couples have done it—why not them?Because she was afraid of going it alone. because she wanted more for her child. She'd had so much more."You ask so nicely," Ariston said, his eyes glittering now.He was furious with her, even after so many months apart. She wondered if his anger could ever be appeased. Perhaps if she told him the truth...if only he would believe it
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 139
Lucette had thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep, but she was so tired that she’d fallen into a deep and thankfully dreamless sleep the moment her head had hit the pillow, after Ariston ’s housekeeper had shown her to her room.When she awoke, it was dark and the room was chilly. The curtains were open to the night sky. Lucette rolled over in bed, feeling disorientated and muzzy-headed, as if she were suffering from jet lag or a hangover, or both. She heard a knock on the door, an urgent rat-a-tat-tat that made her think it was not the first knock.She rose from the bed, pushing her hair out of her face, and went to answer the door.The housekeeper, Maria, stood there with a tray of food. The salad, bread, and lentil soup looked and smelled delicious, but Lucette ’s stomach roiled all the same. She didn’t think she could manage a mouthful."Efharisto," she murmured, and reached out to take the tray.But Maria would have none of it. She shook her head and bustled into the room, sett
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He moved suddenly, turned to her, and gripped her arms; she glimpsed the desperation in his eyes as he dragged her against his chest. "I will do whatever it takes to win you back, Kalila." "You are my wife, the love of my life, and I won’t let you go." His warm breath fanning the curls that framed her face, he pressed his lips to her temple, his eyes briefly closing as if in pain."I have told my father to name his brother Sulim as the interim ruler of Qubbah in the event of his dying before Hazem comes of age." Kate stared at him, shocked beyond words. "But... but why?" she finally stumbled.I thought that you were to rule until Hazem was older. "You are the King’s only son, and it is your duty." Ahsan shook his head. "My first duty is to my wife, and my father agrees." Even if he did not, I would still be here for you."Don't you understand, Kalila?" he asked urgently. "You are more important to me than Qubbah, my father, everything." You, me, and Hazem are a family, and the only thin
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 439
The still silence in the garden that followed his astounding statement was broken by the piercingly sweet song of a blackbird. Kate licked her suddenly dry lips, her heart beating so fast she was sure it would explode. "I don’t understand.""It’s quite simple." He sounded impatient and stared at her haughtily. But to her amazement, streaks of dull color highlighted his cheekbones, and his eyes veered from hers as if he were afraid to meet her gaze. "I love you, Kate."Her rebuttal was fierce and immediate. "No, you don’t.""I should have known you would want to argue about it, Kalila." A little of his tension left him, and his smile stole her breath."You don’t love me," she said again. It was probably some cruel trick, and she had more sense than to be fooled. "You married me for Hazem." You love Farrah. Malika said so.Malika said a lot of things, most of them untrue. Ahsan’s voice was suddenly harsh."But not the things she said about me," Kate said thickly. "My mother was a prosti
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 438
The blue sky was dotted with cotton wool clouds, and the warm breeze carried a scent of lavender and old-fashioned roses. There was no place on earth more beautiful than Ingledean on a spring day, Kate mused—except an oasis in the middle of the desert, where palm trees provided shade from the scorching sun and an azure pool glinted beneath a cloudless sky.She had been home for a month—although Ingledean no longer felt like home without Hazem. The image of his huge brown eyes and impish smile caused the familiar agonizing pain in her chest, and she bit down hard on her lip, tasted blood, and cursed the tears that slid unchecked down her face. She couldn’t cry forever. Somehow she was going to have to find the strength to move on, pick up the threads of her life, or maybe make a new one, far away from Ingledean and all its memories. But since she had left Qubbah, a terrible lassitude had settled on her, and she could not plan anything when the only two people she loved were far away on
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 437
In less than an hour, she was expected to attend the lavish dinner organized in honor of King Kabir’s recovery and his return as supreme ruler of Qubbah. And somehow she was going to have to do so without revealing that she was breaking up inside, which Kate acknowledged despairingly as she stared in the mirror at her paper-white face and red-rimmed eyes.When she first returned to the palace after her explosive confrontation with Malika, she locked herself in her dressing room and recalled, in stunned disbelief, everything the young Arab woman had told her. Could it be true? Had Ahsan always intended to divorce her once he’d gained custody of Hazem and marry his beautiful advisor?She did not know how long she’d sat there, but eventually her maid had knocked on the door and reminded her that it was time to prepare for the banquet. She should have made the excuse that she was ill—no one who saw her pallor would fail to believe her. But the steely backbone of pride that had seen her th
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 436
Despite the warmth of the early-evening sunshine, Kate shivered. "You’re talking nonsense," she said firmly, striving to sound confident despite the sudden lurch of her heart. She was perfectly aware of why Ahsan had married her, but he had given no hint that he wanted a divorce. Ahsan told me he was never engaged to you. She lifted her chin and glared at Malika, trying to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach."He wasn’t," Malika agreed, looking surprised. "I was engaged to Farhan; Ahsan was engaged to Farrah."The world seemed to tilt alarmingly for a few seconds, and Kate actually gripped the edge of the wall for support. Ahsan and Farrah! It couldn’t possibly be true, could it? "Jamila told me that Ahsan was in love with his fiancée," she said faintly. "She doesn’t know why the marriage didn’t take place."Malika gave a careless shrug. ‘Jamila knows. Everyone at the palace knows that Ahsan adored Farrah and that she eloped with his brother on the eve of their wedding.
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 435
He was suddenly aware that the children had finished their dance and everyone was waiting for his response. Kate had turned her head to him, frowning at his inattention, and he quickly clapped his hands in applause. Once the dancers had filed out of the marquee, his personal assistant Zaid appeared at his side and informed him that a group of local potters had brought their best work for his gracious inspection. Stifling a sigh, he led the royal party out into the blazing sunshine.The garden party continued all afternoon, and Ahsan was not in the best of moods when he strode back to the palace. He suddenly realized that he was too far ahead and slowed his pace, waiting for Kate to catch up with him. He frowned when he noted how pale she looked beneath her wide-brimmed hat. She made no attempt to speed up, and the dejected droop of her shoulders fueled his impatience."I appreciate that an afternoon spent admiring traditional crafts and customs is not likely to top your list of exciti
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 434
Her feet briefly touched the floor, and he spun her around, tugged her zip down her spine, and removed her dress before she had time to catch her breath. Her bra went the same way before he lifted her again and threw her onto the bed as if she were a rag doll, his eyes glittering with a mixture of anger and sexual hunger that made Kate’s stomach dip."At night, I’m happy to give you all the attention you could possibly want," he growled, his shoes, trousers, and shirt hitting the floor with barely controlled savagery until he stood in his silk boxers. "This is the only bed you’ll ever sleep in." The boxers joined the rest of his clothes, revealing his powerful, unashamedly aroused body in all its glory. "But I wouldn’t bank on sleeping for many hours yet."Kate stared up at him, her breath coming in shallow gasps as she struggled to control the wild excitement that was pounding through her veins. She was conscious that she was wearing nothing but a pair of tiny lace pants and the pric
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 433
Clearly embarrassed, Aaliyah determinedly changed the subject to Hazem and how fast he was growing. But although Kate smiled and made token conversation, her mind was whirling. If Malika’s family had expected her to marry Ahsan, was she the woman he had been engaged to years ago—the woman Jamila had said he had loved? But, if so, why had they not married? It didn’t make sense, and she brooded miserably as she stared at Ahsan. He was smiling at Malika and clearly enjoying her company. Perhaps they had argued and broken off their engagement. Was he now regretting his lost chance to marry a beautiful, clever Arab girl who would have made him the perfect wife?From that moment on, the party became a blur of faces and stilted conversation with people she had never met before. She was sure they viewed her as an oddity, with her pale skin and vivid hair—and her glaring lack of sophistication. But until his father had recovered, Ahsan was king, and one of her wifely duties outside of the bedr
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 432
As Ahsan had predicted, his team of advisors was waiting for him when they arrived back at the palace. Even on the journey across the desert, he’d had his mobile phone clamped to his ear, and Kate had sat silently beside him, lost in her thoughts. The honeymoon was over, and he had made it abundantly clear that he now saw her role as his wife as a walk-on part—or perhaps a lie-down part, she thought bitterly. But what had she expected? She had married him for Hazem, and he had married her for sex, and they had each gotten what they wanted.At least she had Hazem, she told herself later that evening, when she tucked the toddler into bed. She had missed him desperately, and his evident delight that she was back was a comforting balm to her raw emotions. She was Ahsan’s wife, a member of the Royal Family of Qubbah, and no one could ever take him away from her now.But as she prepared for the state banquet, her insecurities returned, and she felt sick with nerves. She had been horrified w
